Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many children in Scotland are living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income series. These estimates are available as three-year averages to 2012/13, and show that in 2010/11-2012/13 the number and percentage of children in relative and absolute low income was 0.2 million (17%) and 0.2 million (18%) respectively.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers of the Scottish Government and (b) his ministerial colleagues on the sharing of Scottish NHS data with HM Revenue and Customs in relation to implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
The Scottish Government is consulting until the end of February on whether HMRC should be allowed access to NHS Scotland data (name, date of birth, postcode and gender data) to support the identification of Scottish taxpayers, who will pay tax at the Scottish rate of income tax from April 2016. Discussions have taken place between the two administrations and there will be further discussions after the conclusion of the consultation.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect on employment in Scotland of the fall in the price of oil.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
While sustained lower oil prices are challenging for companies active in the North Sea, it is important to recognise that the industry is cyclical. The majority of operators and investors make their assessments on long term outlooks taking into account potential fluctuations in prices.
The UK Government is committed to supporting this vital industry that creates jobs and generates investment. This support includes the full implementation of the Wood Review recommendations and the package of fiscal changes and initiatives announced by the Treasury in early December designed to ease the tax burden on the industry.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2014 to Question 213288, what the name and job title is of each member of the programme board.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
The members of the HMRC's Scotland Act Implementation Programme Board are:
Sarah Walker (HMRC, Senior Business Sponsor)
Geoff Yapp (HMRC, Senior Business Sponsor Stamp Duty Land Tax)
Angela Walker (HMRC, Senior Business Sponsor Scottish Rate of Income Tax)
David Swift (HMRC, Deputy Director - Strategic Finance Budget Controller)
Sean Neill (Scottish Government)
HMT, (Fiscal Devolution)
Scotland Office, (Economic Adviser)
HMRC, (Internal Audit)
HMRC, (Programme Manager)
HMRC, (Landfill Tax Policy)
HMRC, (Chief Digital Information Office).
Freedom of Information principles have been applied and names of staff below SCS grade are not released.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the relative pay of men and women among staff of his Department.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
The Scotland Office does not employ staff; all staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice. Both of these bodies and other employers of Scotland Office staff hold information relating to pay and the diversity of staff. Additionally, information on the gender breakdown of staff by grade is published in the Office’s annual report. The annual report for 2013-14 is available in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many 18 to 24 year olds in Scotland had been unemployed for 12 months or more in each year since 2007.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
Latest official statistic shows that the number of young people (18-24 year olds) claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) has fallen dramatically from its peak as a result of the recession. The overall number of 18 to 24 year old JSA claimants fell by 21,000 between 2011 and 2014 or more than 52%. Those aged 18 to 24 year olds claiming JSA for more than 12 months fell by 4,500 to 2,700 or over 60%. Further details are available in the following table.
| Claimant count - age and duration | ||||||||||
ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from Labour Market figures] | ||||||||||
| Date | Aged 18-24 | Aged 18-24, claiming for over 12 months |
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| October 2007 | 19,400 | 400 |
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| October 2008 | 24,500 | 300 |
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| October 2009 | 37,300 | 800 |
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| October 2010 | 36,100 | 1,700 |
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| October 2011 | 40,200 | 2,800 |
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| October 2012 | 36,900 | 7,200 |
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| October 2013 | 28,200 | 5,500 |
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| October 2014 | 19,200 | 2,700 |
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|
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| ||||||||
| Peak to Oct 2014 - level | -21,000 | -4,500 |
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| Peak to Oct 2014 - percentage | -52.2 | -62.5 |
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Claimants of Universal Credit are not yet included in the Claimant Count. An article provides further information: http://bit.ly/1p9mkq7 (pdf). | ||||||||||
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether (a) all staff in his Department's offices in London and Edinburgh and (b) contractors who provide services in his Departments properties are paid the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies. All staff on such arrangements are paid more than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
The Scotland Office has one contract which provides security for the office in Edinburgh. The Scotland Office does not set the wages paid by the contractors to its workers; however, the wage paid by the contractor is above the national minimum wage. Otherwise, the Office uses framework contracts for building services held by the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he last met with his ministerial counterparts in HM Treasury to discuss implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
I have regular meetings with cabinet colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury, where a wide range of topics are discussed.
Additionally, my officials are very actively engaged in a wide ranging work programme concerning the implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax. This includes working closely with UK Government and Scottish Government officials to support the timely introduction of all fiscal powers of the Scotland Act 2012.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2014, HC Deb, 15 October 2014, column 286, what details regarding the implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax are still under discussion; when he expects those discussions to conclude; and which government department will have responsibility for providing information to income tax payers about changes to the tax system in Scotland.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
Implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax is being led by an HMRC project with oversight provided by a programme board with representatives from HMRC, HM Treasury, the Scotland Office and Scottish Government. The project is progressing a range of issues associated with defining the detail of the implementation and operation of the Scottish rate and the project is on track to make the necessary changes in readiness for April 2016.
HMRC will have prime responsibility for informing tax payers about these changes and will work with the Scottish Government to ensure that individuals and business have access to the information they will need.
Asked by: Margaret Curran (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what representations he has received from the Scottish Government on the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and if he will place in the Library any such representations.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Justice)
I have received no representations from the Scottish Government regarding the Living Wage.